Baseball America predicts 3 SEC teams to make it to Omaha next season

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Vanderbilt last week won its second national championship in six years, defeating Michigan in the College World Series finals to complete a historic season. The Commodores won an SEC-record 59 games and became the first team since 1996 Louisiana State to rank No. 1 in both the Preseason Top 25 and the Final Top 25.

At the conclusion of the finals every year, Baseball America looks ahead to the next year’s College World Series. From those predictions at the end of 2018, I correctly picked just three of the eight teams in this year’s field—Florida State, Texas Tech and Vanderbilt. Three more—Louisville, Michigan and Mississippi State—were listed among super regional participants. In addition, four of the other teams in last year’s Eight for Omaha made it to super regionals—LSU, North Carolina, Stanford and UCLA.

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Making predictions a year in advance for any sport isn’t easy and college baseball presents its own unique challenges. The draft changes the complexion of teams every year and while many players have already signed, until the deadline passes on July 12, surprises can still dramatically alter the landscape. Even then, player development and injuries will continue to shape teams throughout the summer and fall.

All that means our Preseason Top 25 will look a bit different than this list. But, now, with less than 350 days until the 2020 College World Series, here’s who I think will be making the trip to Omaha.

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Auburn

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Every year under Butch Thompson, Auburn has taken another step forward. It won’t be easy for the Tigers to do that again next year having this year reached the College World Series for the first time since 1997. But with righthander Tanner Burns and lefthander Jack Owens at the front of its rotation and a strong returning core in its lineup, they have the makings of another standout team. Auburn will need to develop more depth on its pitching staff and to keep Burns healthy next season. Its offense will also need to take a step forward, which would be accelerated by a return to the form sluggers Edouard Julien and Steven Williams showed as freshmen. Auburn has been a year ahead of schedule every step of the way in the Thompson era. Now it will have to show it can handle heightened expectations.

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Georgia

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The Bulldogs have been a top-eight national seed in each of the last two seasons but haven’t been able to win the Athens Regionals either time. Now, Georgia will enter 2020 expected to take the next step and return to the College World Series for the first time since 2008. Righthanders Emerson Hancock and Cole Wilcox both could be top-10 picks next year and give the Bulldogs one of the best rotations in the country. Georgia also got a big boost when shortstop Cam Shepherd announced he would not sign and instead will return to school for his senior year, giving it one of the best defenders in the country to anchor its infield. The Bulldogs must find more offense, particularly with All-American third baseman/closer Aaron Schunk moving on to pro ball. Schunk’s departure also leaves a hole in the bullpen, but Georgia has plenty of pitching and will remain strong defensively. This is a group ready to take the next step.

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Vanderbilt

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The last time the Commodores won the national championship, they were ranked No. 1 in the Preseason Top 25 the following year. They may well repeat that in 2020 as they will say goodbye to a lot of talent, including a formidable senior class, but also return several key pieces of their roster. Among those departing are outfielder JJ Bleday, the No. 4 overall pick in the draft, righthander Drake Fellows, shortstop Ethan Paul and slugger Steven Scott. But the Commodores bring back righthander Kumar Rocker, the 2019 Freshman of the Year and College World Series Most Outstanding Player, to anchor their pitching staff, as well as righthander Mason Hickman, who won the final game in Omaha, and closer Tyler Brown. Leading hitter Austin Martin returns and should slide over to shortstop, where he could give the Commodores a top-five pick for the second year in a row. Vanderbilt’s draft-eligible sophomores Phillip Clarke, Pat DeMarco and Joe Gobillot have some choices to make, with Clarke the most likely to sign after being picked in the ninth round. But regardless, the Commodores will have plenty of returning talent and another premium recruiting class on the way, headlined by righthander Jack Leiter, the son of former All-Star Al Leiter, who could join Rocker and Hickman in the rotation in short order. No matter how coach Tim Corbin lines it up, this will be a highly talented team again in 2020.

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Eight More For Super Regionals

Arkansas, Coastal Carolina, Duke, Florida, Florida State, Louisiana State, Mississippi State, UCLA

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